The attributes of this piece correspond to the San Jerónimo (St. Jerome) style, from the Costa Grande sub-region of the present state of Guerrero, one of the cultural regions of Mesoamerica. This subregion consists of a narrow coastal strip bounded on the north by the Sierra Madre del Sur, on the west by the mouth of the Balsas River on the border with Michoacán, and on the east by Acapulco Bay.
This is a solidly-built female figure in a small format, with a completely frontal design, the back being flat and smooth. In her figurative composition, the large head stands out, representing half the total height of the image. This feature is recurrent in various expressions of Mesoamerican art because of its intention to communicate the identity and status of the individuals represented.
The woman we focus on has her hair styled with two locks hanging down the sides of her face. She has a choker based on several strands or coils, and the jewelry is complemented by discoidal ear pieces.
She is in a standing position, her arms raised at her sides diminishing her hieratic appearance and endowing her with active vitality. Circular punctures are made to express the nipples and add volume. Another element of corporeality that is worth highlighting is the emphasis on the navel, depicted as a puncture.
The San Jerónimo style of art dates from the late Preclassic period, and there is little information about the society that gave rise to it. The archaeologist Rubén Manzanilla has recorded ceremonial architecture composed of large mounds and elongated platforms associated with plazas at sites of great political and symbolic importance, such as Playa de Horno and Tambuco in Acapulco; Coyuca, Corral Falso in Atoyac; San Jerónimo; Nuxco de Techan and Victorino Rodríguez in Zihuatanejo. Likewise, Manzanilla emphasizes that the San Jerónimo style sculptures are more precise indicators of political-territorial units, in that it is feasible to recognize some sub-styles or regional variants.
The conventions of her style express the intention to give uniqueness to each woman represented, both in the anatomical aspect and in her ornamentation.
The attributes of this piece correspond to the San Jerónimo (St. Jerome) style, from the Costa Grande sub-region of the present state of Guerrero, one of the cultural regions of Mesoamerica. This subregion consists of a narrow coastal strip bounded on the north by the Sierra Madre del Sur, on the west by the mouth of the Balsas River on the border with Michoacán, and on the east by Acapulco Bay.
